Sika Henry
from Virginia, USA, is the first African-American professional Ironman triathlete, having secured her pro card in May.
“I always tell kids not to quit when it gets hard. What kind of a role model would I be if I quit?” - Sika Henry
“Triathlon was a new challenge after college, where I did high jump. I couldn’t break 20mins for 5km until I started swimming and biking. I also stopped getting injured. I seemed to benefit from crosstraining and my aerobic capacity increased tenfold.
“The more I got into tri and researched the lack of diversity, my interest in understanding why grew. Knowing there’s never been an African-American woman to turn pro before, I could hopefully encourage others and make a bit of history. The pinnacle was getting my pro card.
“I’ve always thought representation was super important. As a kid, my idols were other strong African-American women. I loved watching Serena Williams and Dominique Dawes, the Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast. Had I not seen Dominique, would I have got seriously into sports? That’s how much of an impact it made on my life.
“Around three-quarters of AfricanAmericans can’t swim, and the drowning rate is high. These are preventable incidents. I want others to say: ‘I want to try triathlon, so I have to take swim lessons.’
“I’m still traumatised by a bike crash in 2019. When I woke in hospital and saw my face was torn apart, my teeth were loose and my mind foggy, I quit. When I was recovering my dad asked whether if I knew I’d have to go through all this but still get my pro card, it would be worth it. I said yes straightaway. I always tell kids not to quit when it gets hard. What kind of a role model would I be if I quit? People were so wonderful. They sent me cards, kids sent me drawings. I really didn’t realise how many had been following my story.
“Going into schools really is the best. The kids are so innocent. I bring in my tri bike and it looks futuristic. They don’t know what a wetsuit is. They don’t realise a human is capable of swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running 26.2 miles. I’m not even sure they can conceptualise those distances – they just know it’s a lot. These are kids from low income families in impoverished areas who have been through a lot. I’ve probably learned more from them than they have from me.”